PSYCHOLOGY
HOW TO BUILD CONFIDENCE IN YOUR SHORT GAME Mental coach David MacKenzie shares his best mental game techniques for building confidence in your short game and getting up and down more frequently.
MAKE PROCESS THE GOAL Executing your short game skills starts with having a clear process, so you focus on that rather than what the outcome might be. We need more certainty by having clear goals for what you are going to bring your attention to before, during and after every shot. Write down 3-4 things that will become your ‘process’ and make that the goal for each shot.
CONTROLLING NERVES IN THE SHORT GAME When your heart rate goes up, it means that your nervous system is on ‘high alert’. Energy flows away from your brain towards your muscles (which is one of reasons that focusing is harder and you can get tense or shake). When you feel this, breathe and notice your grip pressure. Focusing on breathing properly will not only lower tension, but you’ll bring your mind into the present.
VISUALISE YOURSELF HAVING A GREAT SHORT GAME If you close your eyes and imagine yourself playing short game shots, can you see yourself being successful? If you can’t, you will struggle to do it for real. Do some visualisation exercises where you close your eyes and see yourself hitting an array of short game shots on the course (make it vivid). If you can see it, you can believe it’s possible and it will help you do it for real.
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FOCUS IN THE SHORT GAME When you are practicing your short game, it’s likely that your focus is more ‘external’ and on the intention for the shot you want to hit. On the golf course, because of fear of hitting a bad shot, that focus can move ‘internal’ and more on the swing. The player believes that if they can just make the correct movement, they will avoid the outcomes they fear. When you do this, you lose your connection with the target, your feel and your rhythm. Studies have proven this to be true, even more so for the short game, that focus for any level of player is always better on the intention for the shot (external focus), rather than what the body is doing.
HAVE A POST SHOT ROUTINE The post shot routine is a very overlooked part of the process. If a player doesn’t have a good post shot routine or is unaware, they will store the bad shot/experience deeply (by not being able to move on). This then affects their overall belief and confidence in their short game. Develop awareness of your thinking after a shot
and choose good responses to bad shots that you will inevitably hit (even the pros do too) from time to time.
BEING PRESENT If a player is unable to accept hitting a poor shot (and do it quickly), they can ruminate on it in between shots, which can affect mood and lower performance. Being able to be in the present moment and aware of where you are placing your attention in between shots is a key factor in any player’s success.
SHORT GAME PRACTICE To get better at dealing with the pressure you feel on the course, it makes sense that you put yourself to the test during practice. Set up a practice environment with challenges and consequences that will make you feel nervous and increase arousal, so you can put some of these strategies to the test. David MacKenzie is a mental coach and resides in Washington DC, but is originally from Godalming, Surrey. You can find out more about him and his coaching at www.golfstateofmind.com
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